Southern University and LSU students came together Thursday night for the Learn 2 Live forum — an event organized by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. in conjunction with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement to facilitate conversations about the relationship between local law enforcement and the minority community.
NOBLE was recently in New Orleans and will be in Oakland, California on Nov. 28 to continue the conversation. Kappa Alpha Psi member Dominique Calhoun said the event will continue to happen nationally.
“It’s important because we’ll have conversations about the interactions between police and underserved communities, particularly the African American community,” LSU vice provost of diversity Dereck Rovaris said.
The first part of the event included a panel discussion featuring police officers from LSU, Southern University and BRPD. The second part was a breakdown, in which students sat in small groups with officers and were able to speak on a more personal level.
Some of the conversations included the students’ concerns about the mental state of some officers on the force. Students inquired about the screening process and background checks for potential employees to ensure those protecting them are free of psychological bias or criminal background.
BRPD Officer Congalona Kersh, a 13-year worker on BRPD’s recruitment staff, spoke about different steps of the recruitment process, such as pulling up potential employees’ criminal records and administering a psychological evaluation called the “Matrix Exam.”
“I want to make sure that the person that’s out there to back me up really has my best interest at heart,” Kersh said.
Conversations also focused on the tension between police and citizens at the Alton Sterling protests that occurred during the summer.
“The protest was peaceful until the outsiders came in,” Kersh said, adding that bricks were thrown at her during one of the protests.
“We’re trying to keep you safe and let you protest peacefully, but not seem like the police are so mean. People start instilling in children at a young age, ‘Don’t trust the police.’ It starts at home,” she said when discussing interactions between minority groups and officers.
Southern University student Makala Lupey wanted to know how to change racial views of law enforcement. She said she is more comfortable when approached by a black officer, but immediately becomes nervous when approached by a white officer.
”We tried to end it 20 minutes ago. Look around, students are still talking to the officers,” Rovaris said when asked how he thought the event went.
He said he felt the officers were very honest in sharing their protocols and policies during the panel discussion, and he believes the students gained information from the sessions.
“With the quickness of mass media of getting info out there, you tend to see only negative things, this event helps to Show a different side of the involvement of blacks and police officers,” Calhoun said.
Kappa Alpha Psi member and LSU graduate student Michael Coleman agreed that the event was a success.
“My favorite part were the breakout sessions, but the larger setting was informative as well, with learning about our rights and police policies,” he said.